Vehicles can be equipped with a satellite radio receiver, which is typically fixedly installed in the vehicle, as an additional option or a replacement to terrestrial radio receivers. Generally, the satellite radio receivers receive at least one signal directed by a satellite, as compared to the terrestrial radio receiver that receives a terrestrial radio frequency (RF) signal. By transmitting the signal using the satellite, the range and quality of the signal received by the satellite radio receiver is generally increased.
Additionally, handheld satellite radio devices have been developed that function as the satellite radio receivers installed in vehicles. Typically, in both satellite radio receivers installed in vehicles and portable handheld satellite radio receivers, the receiving device receives multiple signals from the satellite and/or a terrestrial repeater signal which is a terrestrial RF signal. For example, the source provider producing the transmission transmits multiple signals that are received by the receiver at different times, which is typically known as time diversity. The time diversity phenomenon allows the satellite radio receiver to use one or a combination of the received signals in order to produce the output. Thus, whether the signals are both received directly from the satellite or one signal is received from a terrestrial repeater, the multiple signals can be combined if the multiple signals are received by the receiver, or the output can be produced by a single signal from either the satellite or the terrestrial repeater.
The time diversity phenomenon is further described in the following example. A satellite radio receiver in a vehicle is receiving two signals that correspond to one another and are delayed by four seconds. The vehicle can travel under a signal blocking obstruction, such as a tree, which prevents the satellite radio receiver from receiving a first signal, and within the four second period pass by the obstruction and receive the second signal. Thus, the receiver can produce an output based only on the second signal. Without using time diversity, the receiver would not be able to compensate for not receiving the first signal, which it did not receive while under the obstruction. Thus, the quality of the output of the receiver would be greatly reduced.
When utilizing time diversity to increase the quality of the signal, there is a substantial increase in the delay from the time the signal is transmitted from the station to the time the receiver receives the signal, when compared to the time it takes to transmit the signal from the station to the satellite and from the satellite to the receiver. Thus, the only delay in a signal that is transmitted without time diversity is the time it takes for the signal to pass from the transmitter, be directed by the satellite, received by the receiver, and the time for modulation and demodulation of the signal, which essentially results in the user receiving the output of the receiver in real-time. Typically, the broadcaster makes the determination of whether or not the signal is transmitted in time diversity and the end user does not have a choice.
Therefore, it is desirable to develop a satellite radio receiver that can be configured by the user to receive multiple signals in a time diversity format, or be configured to produce an output based on a single signal.